WONDER WOMAN (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:21
Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Elena Anaya
Director: Patty Jenkins
Screenplay: Allan Heinberg, based on a story by Zack Snyder, Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs

Right now as you're reading this, there are so many reviews out there lauding WONDER WOMAN (even Batman is baffled with Wonder Woman's Rotten Tomatoes Scores), I don't know how else to contribute except to recommend that you catch it in the cinemas real soon. As for the setting and to get a sense of the plot, watch the trailer below.

It's not a perfect movie. The finale here reminded me of last year's Batman V Superman finale, which I didn't enjoy. I can understand the loud and CGI heavy smack-down is necessary as this is a pop movie after all but...I digress.

But otherwise, this is a great origin super hero movie. I can sense that it was directed with much care and sensitivity, thanks to the inspired choice of employing a female director. The dialogue is clever and is peppered with enough humour to not take itself too seriously. But more importantly, there were enough "negative spaces" to let the movie breathe, allowing its characters to develop. As a result, when the emotional scenes kicked in, it paid off handsomely.

And speaking of handsome, Chris Pine is charming here as he provides the wit and reality of the situation. As for Gal Gadot (*deep sigh*), she IS Wonder Woman, just as Hugh Jackman is Wolverine. She has the strength and innocence just as how Christopher Reeve had for his Superman. She is elegant, beautiful and just simply mesmerizing. Pine and Gadot are believable as a romantic couple.    

To be fair, it's not all lovey-dovey as this movie is set during World War I. Although the horrors of war are not shown, some scenes are disturbing if the audience give it more thought. All in all, Wonder Woman is a solid debut (with a rousing score) and I can't wait to see Diana (trivia: nobody calls her 'Wonder Woman' in this film) in her second solo outing. I hope it would be as good as Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

RATING: 8/10

STAR TREK BEYOND (2016)

Genre: Science Fiction / Action
Running Length: 2.00
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella
Director: Justin Lin
Screenplay: Simon Pegg & Doug Jung

I was neither a big fan of Star Trek nor Star Wars series. But I leaned towards the latter because light sabers are just too cool. Well let's put it this way, Star Wars is about a war and Star Trek is about trekking the galaxy for the purpose of exploration. And war stories are always grander in scope and the agenda is clear; good guys vs bad guys. Thus, the premise of showing the day-to-day life on the Enterprise and the crew contemplating whether to engage with foreign regimes or not seems boring...until now.

Well, the first act of STAR TREK BEYOND does just that by looking at the reality of the everyday life on the starship. Even Captain Kirk himself is questioning his purpose as the captain of the ship because, "Things are starting to feel a little...episodic, " he confesses.

But when the second act kicks in, it goes up a notch. The Captain and his crew are attacked by Krall (Alba), a vicious enemy. As a result, the USS Enterprise crashes (yet again) into our deadly enemy's territory and the main crew are separated. It is in this process of finding each other and rescuing the rest of the crew, the audience is treated to some nice character development. The highlight to me is the amazing chemistry between Urban and Quinto's character as they had to lean-on each other to survive. A shout out to Urban who usually plays tough action hero characters because in this installment, his Bones character is fully fleshed out and his against type casting as a "doctor and not a fighter" is just perfect.

Speaking of casting, many critics have argued that Idris Alba is wasted as the main villain because he is buried under all the prosthetic. But when his character's motivation is revealed, I personally felt his casting was worthwhile.    

And when the movie finally kicks into warp drive in its third act, it goes into full on explosive Justin Lin's Fast & Furious mode. In fact, now I can fully appreciate how clever it is for the marketing team to use "it" for its first trailer. Many may argue for its sheer ridiculousness but I love it!

All in all, Star Trek Beyond should appeal to the mainstream audience without alienating fans of the Star Trek series. Although it seems to draw more inspiration from Guardians of the Galaxy in terms of its treatment, I'm not complaining because this film is much more fun compared to its predecessors. And it has a good balance of piling up the action and focusing on the relationships within the crew. The humanity element which defines this series is respectfully kept in this sequel as it explores the vision of what society could become in the future if humanity learned from its past mistakes...or do not.

Rating: 8.5/10

INTO THE WOODS (2015)

Genre: Musical 

Running Length: 2:05

Cast: Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp, James Corden, Lilla Crawford, Mackenzie Mauzy, Daniel Huttlestone

Director: Rob Marshall

Screenplay: James Lapine, based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine 

"Was that me? Yes it was. Was that him? No it wasn't. Just a trick of the woods!" sings The Baker's wife from INTO THE WOODS. 

The "woods", however, is not devious. In fact, it's neither good nor bad - it is directly influenced by those that are in it. The "woods" can also represent a reflection of sorts for those in it - it brings either the best or the worst out of a person. The movie starts out as a straight forward fairy tale movie but along the way, the smart screenplay reveals the brokenness of its characters and the "grey" world they are living in. Although positioned as a Disney musical featuring a mash up of popular fairy tale characters (from the tales of The Brothers Grimm's), the premise is actually pretty dark as it's filled with adult themes such as; sexual innuendos, infidelity and death. This stuff is not for kids. Probably there lies the problem of the movie. The adult elements are noticeably muted. A large portion of the movie is spent establishing the characters and the choices they make, while the more challenging and interesting content which deals with the consequences are rushed through. Also, the production value of this film feels cheap as most of the scenes look stage bound (yes, it's based on a Broadway musical but...). I just wonder if it would have been a more satisfying experience if it was made into a TV mini series instead, thus giving its characters more space to develop. The songs are somewhat forgettable except for one number, "Agony" sung by Chris Pine (in smug handsome scumbag mode). 

Rating: 6.5/10

JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (2014)

Genre: Thriller
Running length: 1:45
Cast: Chris Pine, Kiera Knightley, Kevin Costner, Kenneth Branagh, Lenn Kudrjawizki, Alec Utgoff
Director: Kenneth Branagh

JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT is a summer style blockbuster - Read: a thriller/action movie with car chases and shootouts starring who's who of today ie. safe, predictable and boring. I remember enjoying the earlier Jack Ryan movies because there is always this trademark high tension scene where the fate of America rests squarely on the shoulders (and quick thinking) of Jack Ryan. There is a similar scene here but the premise of it requires the audience to suspend all disbelief when it comes to Jack and his significant other in an espionage plot *roll eyes* The script isn't clever enough to elevate it to a place that makes this 'origin movie' feel like it's revitalizing the genre like what Casino Royale did to the James Bond series. Chris Pine is fine as he has the presence and physicality of a "Jack Ryan 2.0". Kevin Costner is solid in the "mentor" role - a part that seems well-suited to him at this stage of his career. Kenneth Branagh's villain is serviceable. However, Kiera Knightley seems to be miscast or I just find her distracting whenever she appears on screen.

Rating: 5/10